Private-sector employment across the United States increased by 38,000 jobs in August, according to the National Employment Report produced by Roseland-based ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.
The latest national data points to a cooling labor market, marking the slowest pace of private job creation since January. Nationally, job gains were largely driven by the service sector—particularly education and health services, which added 45,000 jobs—while goods-producing sectors saw declines led by a loss of 17,000 manufacturing positions. Geographically, the Northeast proved resilient, pacing all U.S. regions with 38,000 total jobs added (26,000 in the Mid-Atlantic and 12,000 in New England).
Alongside employment figures, the August release highlights broader trends in compensation through ADP Pay Insights. For all private-sector workers nationwide, base pay rose 3.2% year-over-year, while gross pay increased by 4.7%. Wage growth for job-stayers remained steady at 3.0% for base pay and 4.4% for gross pay, though gains for job-changers edged down slightly.
“Once predictable wage growth has been overtaken by complexities of demographic change, persistent inflation, and AI’s effects on jobs,” said Dr. Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, emphasizing the utility of the expanded monthly dataset in tracking shifting labor market dynamics.
Change by Sector
Total Private Employment: +38,000
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Goods-Producing: -10,000
- Construction: +12,000
- Natural Resources and Mining: -5,000
- Manufacturing: -17,000
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Service-Providing: +48,000
- Education and Health Services: +45,000
- Leisure and Hospitality: +16,000
- Financial Activities: +6,000
- Other Services: +6,000
- Trade, Transportation, and Utilities: -5,000
- Information: -4,000
- Professional and Business Services: -16,000
